Vulnerable
by silvermercy
Summary: Genesis roams the streets in pursuit of some anger relief and Aeris has the misfortune of encountering him in a dark alley. What'll she suffer in the hands of this red-haired demon? And what's Angeal's and Sephiroth's role? AU/Suggestive themes.
1. Steam

**Author's Note**: I thought Genesis was a bit neglected in the non-yaoi story department so I decided to randomly pair him with Aeris. I also thought it would be interesting if he had a dark side just like Sephiroth. Actually, I think it's quite obvious from the game that he has.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Genesis, Aeris or anything associated with FF. They all belong to SquareEnix. *sniff sniff*

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He left the headquarters in a hurry, anger still visible in his glowing blue mako eyes. It was late at night but he didn't care. He needed to let some steam out. He started walking down the street in an increasingly fast pace, throwing obscenities in the air whilst gathering a few odd and scared looks on the way. "How dare he make fun of me, of my abilities" he fumed, as a deep frown formed on his delicate features giving him a rather dangerous look that could make anyone passing him by become alerted to his not so pure intentions.

Sephiroth, the jewel of Shinra, his archenemy; he almost laughed. It should be _him_, Genesis, who should be revered; it should be _him_ who should be idolised. _He _should be the Hero! _Not_ _Sephiroth_! He let the last thought escape his mouth in a loud strong cry, not caring who would listen to him.

_Sephiroth_... His name left a bitter aftertaste on his mouth. Oh how he loathed him, he thought, clenching his fists so tightly they almost drew blood if it wasn't for his favourite red leather gloves.

He was wrong to think that some fresh air would calm him down. In fact he felt as if this aimless wandering had the opposite effect. The anger intensified, burning his insides with an unbearable fire. The faster he walked the more fury he felt surfacing from his inner core. He needed some release. He really could kill someone right now, he thought and smirked. The only thing he needed was an excuse. A wrong look was all he asked for. If he would not kill them, then he would at least make them suffer some serious damage, like a broken head, or a few missing limps. He smirked; that would do the trick, he mused, eyes looking around now searching for an available victim. He just begged for the opportunity, should it arise.

He was out of luck though. Anywhere he turned, the streets in the slums were deserted, as if they could sense him coming and they had all fled away. Genesis cursed through his teeth.

The whole world was against him, he thought. And with that he stopped and forced his curled fist through the window of an abandoned car, breaking its glass into a myriad of pieces, its loud impact echoing in the empty street. The action brought an intense pain on his arm as the shattered fragments pierced through his skin, but he pushed all feelings of discomfort aside and continued his endless wandering around the dark alleys of the slums. Until he reached a crossroads; he stopped momentarily under a streetlight, the light illuminating his auburn hair and red coat, giving him an almost surreal demonic appearance. He was trying to gather his thoughts when a nauseatingly sweet but mesmerised voice interrupted him.

"Excuse me sir," the voice said, and Genesis swiftly turned around to the side to find the source of his annoyance. What he encountered was the image of a young woman holding a basket with flowers. If he wasn't occupied with such a burning anger he would be surprised by the fact of what a beautiful innocent-looking girl was doing so late in such a dangerous area.

"Excuse me sir," the girl repeated, but a bit more shakily this time. "You're bleeding" she said pointing her index finger towards the man's injured arm. He was rather handsome she had to admit, and quite possibly a SOLDIER, she thought, judging from his uniform and mako eyes. She instantly regretted talking to him though; her instinct told her to run away as fast as she could, but she still stood her ground. "Stupid Aeris", she scolded herself. "You've just made yourself vulnerable again! You should have stayed silent! And you should know by now that bleeding men in dark alleys are not exactly the type to approach, let alone talk to."

They both stood silent staring each other for a few moments. Genesis finally glanced down towards his arm noticing a few blood droplets sliding down his sleeve reaching the tips of his gloved fingers before eventually dropping silently on the ground. He then let his eyes travel upwards again towards the girl. He couldn't help but smirk at the pleasant sight. She was afraid. The girl noticing his changed facial expression had already started taking a few steps backwards. Genesis watched her backtrack and an even wider but still evil smile formed on his lips. She was leading herself into a dead end. All the better for him, he mused.

"What's your name girl?" he decided to play with her for a while.

The girl surprisingly looked him straight in the eyes and answered.

"Aeris, sir."

"Hi Aeris, I'm Genesis," the red-haired man replied in a smooth melodic voice, as he took a few more steps towards her direction - closing the gap slowly but steadily.

"Don't you know that it's really dangerous for a young and defenceless girl like you to be out here so late?" Genesis said making a graceful gesture with his uninjured hand to indicate his surroundings.

"I know how to take care of myself, sir," Aeris said, fear betrayed by her trembling voice. She bit her lip. "I've lived around here for a long time, since I was a little kid. I know the area quite well...sir" Aeris said in a failed attempt to hide her nervousness.

"Please... just call me Genesis," the stranger interrupted, as he progressed towards her increasingly trembling figure.

"OK... Genesis," Aeris replied in an unsteady voice, taking a few more steps backwards until her back hit something hard, a wall, Aeris realised and gulped. Her throat suddenly felt really dry. Maybe her luck had run out after all.

"So, do you think it is wise walking by yourself at night? All _alone_?" he emphasised the last word.

"You never know who you might encounter," he continued . "Someone... dangerous perhaps".

_Someone... like me, _he inwardly pondered to himself.

Genesis took the last few steps that separated himself from Aeris. The flower girl gasped as she realised she had literally managed to trap herself into a corner. She cursed herself. She should have waited for one of her friends to walk her home. Maybe then she wouldn't have found herself in this situation - again. It had happened a few times in the past, too, but she had always managed to escape. "Mostly by sheer luck", she considered. Since then she was always careful around people in these areas, either by being in the company of people she knew and trusted, or by leaving her church before nightfall. But this time Minerva was not on her side, she thought, her eyes getting wetter.

Aeris watched him close the last remaining inches of the little precious private space she still had available. She shivered when after daring to take a quick glance upwards she saw him towering over her. He was quite tall; she barely reached his shoulder, she realised. Not to mention he looked quite muscular. Aeris shot a few quick glances around her. Not even a chance of an escape route, she thought in desperation and closed her eyes as tightly as she could.

She let out a loud gasp when she felt a gloved hand tracing her face starting at her forehead and gliding downwards towards her chin. She refused to let her eyes open.

"Oh Aeris... Oh silly silly little Aeris," she heard him whisper in her ear, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine all the while the tips of his hair tingling her cheeks.

"Now what have you got yourself into?"


	2. Play time

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Genesis, Aeris or anything associated with Final Fantasy.

* * *

Aeris didn't know what to think. Her mind had stopped working. Her thoughts were whirling around her brain, her mind filled with unanswered questions. Was that really happening to her? What were the stranger's intentions? What was he planning to do with her?

She didn't have to ponder too long for answers though as she had a pretty good idea by now what his plans were. It was quite obvious, wasn't it, she thought. "And to think I found him attractive as he was standing under that damn streetlight... "What was I thinking talking to him?" she mentally slapped herself.

"I...umm..." Aeris began. What could she possibly say to get herself out of this impossible situation? _Absolutely nothing_, she thought, feeling unrelenting waves of panic swarming and drowning her. Maybe she could scream, but she knew that nobody in this godforsaken place would come to her rescue.

As if on autopilot she raised her hands and placed her open palms on the man's chest. With all the courage she could muster, she wore the bravest look on her eyes and forcibly tried to push him away.

To no avail; that man was _strong_, she should have realised this by now, she thought, feeling even more stupid. He was _obviously _a SOLDIER, she had no doubt about that now, maybe 1st class too! She felt more and more correct at her assumptions as, even though she was pushing against him with all the strength her small figure could gather, the tall man barely moved an inch.

Aeris decided to try another approach – begging. Even though she was highly unsure this would yield any results either.

"Please, sir, you have to let me go, I'm just a flower girl, I don't think I'll be of great use to you!" she pleaded in a desperate voice.

She dared another look upwards and saw him looking back at her, a smile still spread on his face.

"I will be the judge of that...my little flower girl..." he replied, giving her the creepiest smile Aeris had ever seen in her entire life in the slums.

"Damn him! He must be really enjoying this" she thought with rising fear. Indeed, Genesis found the whole display of defiance quite amusing. She was a brave little girl, he would at least give her that.

"Hmph! So weak..." he scoffed. "You know what I think? I think someone's not been eating her breakfast" he said lowering his face even closer to hers. "What do _you_ think? Huh?" he said in a hauntingly sweet voice.

As soon as he said that she felt her anger swelling up inside her. _How dare he_? she wanted to scream... _how dare he play with me like I'm some kind of toy_? but still no audible words formed in her mouth. She only managed a half-hearted growl.

"What was that?" Genesis asked. "Sorry, I didn't catch that! Could you repeat that please?" Genesis continued his teasing.

Aeris' instinct kicked in and she felt her right fist curl into a ball. _She had to act_. Without further thinking she raised her fist in the air and forcefully punched him on the face. Genesis was stunned feeling the sudden impact as her fist met his nose, shock registering in his eyes. But only momentarily; he still didn't budge away from his position, not even the slightest. Her victory was short-lived, Aeris cursed.

"Ooh, feisty..." Genesis smirked. "I think... I think I _like_ that!" And with that he grabbed her wrists and pushed her back to the wall, his tall body tightly pressed against her small frame. Aeris flinched at the force of the impact making her gasp for air, an expression of pain visible on her beautiful face. _No, no... This can't be happening,_ she muttered to herself again and again. It was as if her soul had abandoned her body and she was floating in space, a simple watcher of her empty shell_. No, no... she was convinced... This wasn't happening to her, this was happening to someone else. She was careful... she had always been careful in the slums. This was just... impossible..._

Aeris was instantly brought back to reality as she watched Genesis bring his injured hand in front of his mouth clasping his gloved middle finger between perfectly white teeth. With a slow but deliberate movement he removed the leather fabric revealing a hand, a blood-stained hand. Aeris gasped at the sight. She watched him as he moved his fingers closer to her face, grabbing hold of a loose chestnut-coloured strand. Genesis slowly curled his fingers around it gazing it through it as if in a trance. Moments that seemed like centuries passed like that, and Aeris wondered what the red-haired demon with the angelic face was thinking. Her puzzled thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Genesis let go of her hair and shifted his attention back to her face again. Aeris breathing became faster as his blue eyes locked into her emerald ones.

"_Infinite in Mystery, is the gift of Goddess..." _Genesis started reciting leaving Aeris with a thousand and one questions.

_Was this night ever going to end?,_ she helplessly wondered as his lips came closer and closer to hover over hers.

* * *

Genesis is such a tease! An evil one... lol

I hope you like it as I'm making it up as I go! Reviews always welcome!


	3. No escape

**Disclaimer**: Apart from the plot, I do not own Genesis, Aeris or Final Fantasy.

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Time seemed to have stopped as Aeris felt the heat emanating from his lips travelling the negligible distance to reach her own. His breath smelt sweet while his skin gave out a manly and musky scent. If it wasn't for her intense fear for her life engulfing her senses, Aeris would surprisingly find the experience..." _pleasantly_ _exhilarating."_ Aeris was both puzzled and horrified at her own thoughts.

A sudden gust of wind forced his hair to wave forward. The tips caressed her face, all the while eliminating all sources of the scarcely available street light. It was just she and him. _In_ _darkness_...

Aeris' uneasiness increased as she watched him withdraw and take one step back. She felt a sudden chill as his abrupt withdrawal allowed the night cold to penetrate first her clothes and then her skin. She ignored it though and looked towards the strange man. His facial expression was that of a marble statue betraying no emotion.

"_Maybe he changed his mind? Maybe he will let me go after all?"_ she thought, fragments of hope resurfacing and gluing themselves together. She looked at him hopefully.

His expression changed again, that familiar hint of a smirk slowly making another appearance on his face.

"Oh no... He's smiling again." Aeris came to despise that expression. Smiles were supposed to be pleasant and reassuring of course. But that constant smirking of the handsome devil certainly didn't give her any signs of reassurance whatsoever. Because she knew he meant no good.

At that point, Aeris could not hold the tears in any longer, she broke down and collapsed on the cold ground. She didn't care that her pink dress got muddy and dirty, she didn't care about the cold, all she wanted was to go home and forget about this nightmare. No more late night strolls, she promised herself, assuming of course she survived this nightmare. She would never endanger herself like that anymore if this night wasn't her last one on this planet, she bargained.

Genesis watched the girl fall down on her knees. A pang of guilt crossed his heart but only momentarily. He didn't really care anymore. Despite appearances, she was just as insignificant and disgusting just like the rest of the inhabitants whose lowly presence occupied this part of the city, he thought. This was it, now that he started it he would finish it, he decided. And when he was done with this girl, he would continue his night mission until the break of dawn moving on from one scum to the other. He wouldn't rest until his anger against this city – and especially a certain silver-haired arrogant warrior of Sninra Corporation - was drowned.

Aeris felt her tears trailing down her cheeks. The small world around her became a dark blur. Her sobs got louder and more intense. She didn't know what to do. She tried to wipe her eyes with her hand, but something tight suddenly wrapped around her wrist and prevented her from doing so. Through her fuzzy vision she could sense him being really close again. Her blurry eyes registered the dark shadow of his figure in front of her. She saw him bending his legs and kneeling down to her level. Aeris let out another loud sob as she saw him using his teeth to remove the remaining glove that he still wore on his uninjured hand.

"Shhh now... it's ok..." he soothed, as he used his newly ungloved hand to wipe some of her tears away, his other hand still tightly holding her wrist. "Don't cry..." he said, as his hand moved to the top of her head and began to stroke her hair in fluid and tenderly slow motions. Aeris' sobs slightly weakened, and, after a while, they finally started slowing down as Genesis continued speaking to her with a surprisingly calming tone.

"It's ok...nothing bad will happen to you" he reassured her after a long moment of silence. Then he paused. "At least nothing _too_ bad..." he chuckled. Before Aeris had a chance to register his words, he twisted her arm and forced the girl to face the wall, her back pressed on his chest.

"Shhh... now... just relax..." he said as he held her tightly, his mockingly soothing voice sending terrifying shivers all over her body.

"No... please...don't!" Aeris managed to whisper as she felt his hand moving up her arm, reaching her shoulders and finally stopping at her neck. She suddenly felt his hold tighten around her neck and Aeris prayed that whatever was in store for her, it had better be quick and hopefully as painless as possible. Maybe he would strangle her after all, she thought, as her breath became more erratic and laborious. With a bit of luck she would fall unconscious quite quickly, she prayed. Maybe the madman would be at least merciful and give her a quick death.

Genesis chuckled again and released her neck from his firm hold leaving Aeris to take some deep and desperate breaths between coughs. He didn't wait too long though and soon his fingers trailed upwards to reach her lips. They were soft and luscious, he thought as he traced them across her full length repeatedly from side to side. He wondered how they would taste like and his breathing became faster. He pressed his chest even more firmly against her back and brought his head closer pressing his cheek against her own.

The girl struggled but that made him even more determined to go ahead with his plan. He continued tracing her lips with his fingers, and as Aeris slightly parted her lips to make another plea, he forced one of his blood-stained fingers in her mouth, making her gasp.

"How do you like that?" Genesis enquired in a whispery voice.

Aeris tasted the metallic taste of the blood as she felt his finger entering and moving around her mouth. Horror mixed with fury resurfaced once again.

"I'll show him _how_ I like that," she thought, and with that she bit his finger as hard as she could, drawing more blood in the process. She felt him wince behind her and loosening his grip. Aeris took the opportunity and with a skilful movement even she didn't know she possessed, she freed herself from his clasps, stood up and started running.

After a long series of turns into more dark streets and alleys, Aeris slowed down her pace and tried to listen. "No signs of anyone following me" she exhaled. She looked around at her surroundings but there was no sign of anything even remotely familiar. She knew that she was lost. She took a few more deep breaths to calm herself down when she realised her basket and flowers were missing. She sighed. She must have dropped it back then in that god-awful place. She couldn't care less though. As long as she was as far away as possible from that red-haired maniac, everything would be all right, she thought in relief. Now all she had to do was find her way home. But that would be impossible in the middle of the night and she would definitely not risk any more dangerous encounters with strange people. She didn't know what time it was as she had lost sense of time long time ago, but she figured it wouldn't be too long before the sun sent his warming rays down the awakening city and, with a bit of luck, down the dark slums, too. They were rarely graced by its illuminating presence. She would find her way then, she decided. Until then maybe she could crawl in a corner and just wait for the first signs of light, she thought.

With a slight smile, she managed to find herself a corner that she deemed safe enough, and satisfied that she was as invisible as possible from common view, she sat down, curled her arms around her legs and rested her head on top of her knees. She was exhausted, but she wouldn't sleep, as she wanted to be alert for any signs of impending danger. But her eyelids were so heavy... her eyes so tired...but still... she would not allow herself to sleep...

She woke up feeling the faint smell of flowers. It was beautiful. Even though a bit uncomfortable, she couldn't make herself move from her current position. "It was all a bad dream...?" she groggily wondered. "I must be back at my church then..." she thought suddenly feeling really joyful, remembering her beautiful flower garden.

Something was not right though. She could feel it. She was not alone; she could sense a presence sitting right beside her. Could it be a dog, a cat perhaps? What would a cat do in her church though? Confused, she opened her sleepy eyes and slowly raised her head to the side that radiated the disturbing feeling.

Aeris gasped.

"I believe you forgot something" Genesis smiled at her, offering her a yellow flower, the same one she was tenderly picking earlier from her garden using extra care. Aeris froze to the ground and stared at him in silence.

Seeing Aeris refused to make a move to take his offer, Genesis leaned closer and with slow sensually charged movements caressed her face with it.

"I don't suppose you thought I would let you get away so easily?" Genesis winked at her and gave her another chuckle, immediately trashing all traces of hope she had left.

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Hehe! What will happen next you think? Poor Aeris... must be the worst night of her life so far...

Oh, and please review if you want to see a new chapter! Thanks!!!


	4. To Fly

Thanks everyone for the great responses. They keep me motivated!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Genesis, Aeris or anything Final Fantasy related.

* * *

She was sure that any moment now her heart was going to break. Her pulse was reaching dizzying heights, making her feel faint. Aeris blinked. The image of the man beside her was not going to fade no matter how hard she tried. She gulped when she felt the fragrant flower swirl around her face. She pushed it away with her hand but, alas, he kept going.

"What do you want?" she managed to utter all the while trying to avoid his insistent ticklish hand movements around her face.

"What do I want?" Genesis miraculously stopped bothering Aeris' face and looked up to the night sky as if to consider her question.

"Oh, I want many things my dear Aeris..." Genesis added. But right now what I would love to know most is _WHY _did you run away from _ME_?" and with those words he touched his heart as if to indicate it was broken.

Aeris blinked again. _Was that man serious? Which kind of lunatic asylum did he escape from? _she wondered.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Aeris screamed with all her might and got up to run away from him, adrenaline kicking in again. She wasn't sure how far she would go this time but she would not give up. She would at least die trying.

As she was turning around the corner she dared a quick glance behind her and saw him still sitting on the ground inspecting the yellow flower with the utmost fascination paying no attention to her running away.

Aeris didn't delay a moment further but kept running. _This... is... just... a crazy... dream..._ Aeris muttered in between sudden inhalations of air. _But why isn''t he following me? Is he that deranged? Why was he just sitting there staring at a damn flower? _

She didn't care. The more corners she turned the more she hoped her chances of escape and survival would increase. She didn't know how he had found her in the first place, but maybe she'd be luckier now, she prayed.

_One more turn Aeris, you can make it_, she said to herself encouraging her to keep running. _One more turn. One more turn and you're almost th..._

She didn't see the crush coming. The tall wall of muscle clad in red leather made sure to interrupt her progression and make her fall painfully to the ground. Aeris winced.

"Tsk tsk tsk...You know that's not a nice behaviour..." Genesis said in a disapproving tone while looking down at the girl in front of his feet. "Running away and all..."

Aeris glanced up to his towering form. She shivered. He wasn't looking at her now though. His interest was occupied by something else this time. Her eyes settled on his hand which was holding something round.

"Oh, that?" Genesis asked as if guessing her question. "That's a Banora apple." That's the village where I come from you know... it's called Banora...hence the name. I grew up there..."

Aeris didn't stay to hear the rest of his speech. She got up and started running towards the opposite direction; only to be suddenly stopped in her tracks once again.

Aeris gasped and her eyes grew in horrifying amazement.

"Did you know that these apples grow in the Banora region only? Genesis continued his conversation - or rather monologue - as if he was never interrupted. "They grow nowhere else."

He held the apple slightly above his tilted head as if he was examining it. His eyes squinted under the insufficient streetlight, his hair, covering half of his face, making the task more difficult.

And then he continued.

"Did you also know that their unique taste and mysterious health properties are said to be attributed to the rich soil of the region?" Genesis informed her, excitement apparent in his voice.

Aeris forced her shaking legs to change direction one more time. Learning about the apple's history was at the bottom of her priorities. She started running again as fast as she could but she didn't think her legs would sustain her for any longer. With each running stride her gasps in need of more air got louder and more intense. She...had... to...breathe...

"Why don't you have a bite?" Genesis materialised out of nowhere once again right before the startled and desperate for breath girl. Aeris looked at him, despair in her eyes.

Genesis smiled and took one step forward offering her the apple. She didn't move.

"You're refusing my gift again?" Genesis enquired a bit more impatiently this time, grabbing her hand. Aeris remained speechless, defeat swallowing her up at last.

He came even closer and placed the apple on her hand. With his hand never leaving her own, he wound his other hand around her waist and forced her apple-clasping hand upwards bringing it closer to his mouth. He let his tongue slip out of his mouth and in deliberately slow movements he started licking the apple surface in between her open fingers, smirking eyes constantly on hers. Aeris forgot to breathe. His tongue had now moved from the apple to her fingers, slowly getting them wet one by one, starting from her little finger right up to to her index and thumb. When he finally reached her thumb he lingered a little longer. He smiled.

Genesis took a sudden large bite, finally making Aeris draw a sharp breath from the shock.

"Your turn," he whispered as he brought his mouth close to her ear.

Aeris shot a terrified glance at the apple she was holding, checking she had no fingers missing, and then back at him. He wasn't joking, she figured. Better do as she was told, she decided. At least it didn't seem to be poisoned, she reasoned, seeing that he had also tasted it. And with that, she took a small reluctant bite earning her a large grin from Genesis' lips.

"Good girl...." he mused. "Now swallow," he whispered seeing Aeris had not made any chewing movements.

Obediently Aeris tried to do as he said but the lump on her throat that had formed since her unfortunate first encounter was impossible to bypass. No matter how much she forced herself to swallow, it refused to stir even the slightest. With a final and forceful press of her tongue that made her choke, she gulped it down, throwing her body into a coughing fit.

Genesis chuckled. "Now what? Don't tell me you don't like it? They're the best apples in the whole world!"

"They're so good they made my parents rich... Made _me_ rich!" he laughed.

"Do you like rich men, Aeris?" he added a moment later with his ever-present alluring voice.

He gazed down at her looking for a reaction. He was only met with silence.

"No? Well, too bad... Hmm... How about _both _rich and handsome men then?" Genesis winked at her.

"Oh... I would swear you do... judging by the way you were looking at me when we first met," he added chuckling, but was again met with a mute expression.

"..."

"Actually... you know what? Since you won't answer me..." he paused for effect, "I think I'll answer the question for you."

With a swift movement, Genesis forced the apple she was still holding drop onto the ground. It made a surprisingly thumping sound disturbing the eerie silence that surrounded them before finally rolling to a standstill. With another sudden movement, he grabbed both of her wrists and pressed her open palms on top of his torso.

Aeris' voice had stuck on her throat. She shook her head violently from side to side so as to indicate her strongly negative answer.

Oblivious to her ordeal, Genesis slowly guided her trembling hands upwards, towards his collarbone imitating a massage-like movement.

"I think you do... like...

"tall..."

"muscular..."

" men..."

" in leather..."

"uniform...."

His piercing blue eyes gazed down at her.

"Especially when it's _RED_..." he smirked.

Aeris didn't have time to react. With the speed of light, his hands forced her arms around his neck and almost immediately she felt strong hands coiling tightly around her tiny waist pressing her face against his chest.

Aeris screamed. She felt as if she was flying.

_Literally..._

She took a side glance which confirmed her suspicions. _She was airborne... she was actually FLYING...but how...what... how was that possible... _she wondered in terror as the dark streets and scarcely illuminated buildings below became smaller and smaller.

She closed her eyes and ironically pressed her body against the only means of relative safety she had available: Genesis'. She dug her nails deep into his neck penetrating the skin barrier and releasing copious amounts of crimson liquid which started spreading around her fingers. This only made her hold more unsteady and slippery.

Aeris screamed again. "Please Genesis! Put me down. I'm begging you!" she pleaded through teary eyes.

The man didn't seem to notice though. In fact he seemed to be in the middle of one of his mysterious trances again.

"Genesis!" Aeris screamed again overpowered by fear. "Genesis!" she cried not daring to make the slightest movement.

His eyes finally seemed to come to life again as he turned his head slightly for his stare to lock with hers.

"_The most profound mystery is the Gift of the Goddess and in pursuit of this gift we set on a journey and take flight. Hopeless as it may seem we stand and carry onward with the ripples of water that surface on our hearts." was _Genesis' only answer.

Aeris blinked. Her options were limited she considered. _Maybe she should just release her hands from around his neck after all_...

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Oooh.... Poor Aeris.... her hope is all gone it seems...what will she do now??? Please review if you want faster updates! Thanks!!


	5. Sanctuary

Let's state the obvious again:

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Genesis, Aeris or FF. All belong to SquareEnix.

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Invisible tentacles of tranquillity encircled him and caressed him with their soft calming touch. He felt them moving tenderly within his body, reaching his heart and stroking it in smooth loving motions. For a blissful moment he felt at peace, the absence of inner turmoil taking him by surprise. The strange feelings confused him. His burning anger was quenched and replaced by feelings of inner peace and harmony. When was the last time he felt like that, he wondered for the second time on the same night.

A screaming voice disturbed his thoughts, and it seemed to originate from the same source that gave rise to his serene emotions. He turned to look at the supplier of those alien sensations. He stared at the girl's eyes and blinked. How was she doing that to him?

A sharp pain at the back of his neck made his senses return to normal and he instantly snapped back to reality. The familiar sting of anger resurfaced once again but now it was directed towards the girl. How dare she penetrate his shield with her purity and innocence? Strong feelings of unpleasure flooded him. She was supposed to be a pathetic, repulsive abomination from the slums. He was not supposed to feel this way!

Aeris quivered. Did he finally feel the pain from her nails on his neck, she wondered. But something told her it was more than that. His eyes betrayed a rage that was not there before.

She felt his grip on her waist loosen, and horror grew on her eyes. Yes, he would let her fall after all. But she wasn't prepared for that just yet. She embraced him even tighter around his neck and pulled her legs firmly around his waist refusing to give in so easily. She rested her head on his shoulder and that was when he noticed the huge black wing sprouting from his left shoulder. "That... explains it," she managed to make a semi-coherent thought. At that moment, she felt his arms withdraw from her body completely. Aeris felt her breath leave her lungs. She was left on her own to support her weight she realised hopelessly. A sense of futility emerged as she knew nothing else was separating her from the black abyss below. Somehow she still found the strength to fix her arms and legs even tighter around him. She would nearly suffocate him, if need be.

An all-familiar chuckle travelled from his mouth and reached her ears.

"Maybe you're not such an innocent little thing after all," he taunted.

Aeris would slap him if it wasn't for her unreal precarious situation. The only thing she managed was for another loud utterance of fear to make its way to her lips.

"Please, please... don't let me drop! Don't let me fall to the ground please!" she wept.

"Oh? Do you want me to hold you then?"

"Y..yes..."

"How tight?"

Aeris hesitated. "Tight...please... very tight!" Her situation was getting urgent. She did not know how much longer she could hold on without slipping.

A moment passed without anything happening. Then another one. Aeris felt her strength deserting her. Her fingers were slipping. She was going to drop. She closed her eyes tightly and prayed.

The disturbing but welcoming feeling of rock-hard hands touching her bottom eased her burden of distress. Aeris opened her eyes and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Enjoying this?" she heard him say.

Aeris considered her answer. "Umm... y..yes..." she answered, hoping it's the right one.

"Hmph... I knew it," he laughed. "Nobody can resist my touch."

Aeris felt his fingers of one of his hands wander around her bottom once again and shuddered. This was getting a bit too... _personal_, she thought, as she felt the intense massaging action. She was not going to complain though if she cared for her life, not at this point.

His fingers eventually stopped roaming her backside and she felt the wind on her hair again. They were moving. Where to, she had no idea; but hopefully some solid ground. After some time, she caught sight of their destination. A platform on the edge of really tall skyscraper. Better than nothing, she thought hopefully, maybe there would be a way to escape or even a person to alert there.

They landed softly on the floor. Aeris exhaled. She released her arms ready to step on the ground but when she tried she couldn't. Genesis still held her tight with his arms. Aeris fought him for a while but to no avail. She sighed. What did he want this time, she wondered in frustration.

"Did you enjoy the ride?" he finally asked her.

Aeris blinked. "Um, yes... sure... I did... enjoy it..." she timidly answered.

Genesis smiled and released her.

"I did too."

_Oh I'm sure you did,_ Aeris thought, a scowl forming on her face.

"Why the angry face? I didn't let you drop, did I?" he laughed.

Aeris looked around at her surroundings. It was still dark and couldn't see any obvious sign of a door or a window in close proximity. She was trapped again, she thought bitterly.

"Oh, you won't find anyone around" he answered guessing her question. "There's no escape route either in case you're wondering".

Aeris looked back at him.

"That's because I chose it that way," he continued. "This is where I come to relax. My own personal sanctuary, a small piece of heavenly solidarity within this... urban jungle. There are no disturbances from anyone or anything while I'm here. Truly relaxing indeed..."

Aeris saw him coming closer and stand right in front of her blocking the view of the still sleeping metropolis.

"That's why even if you scream..." he said and lowered his head to the level of her ear, "..._nobody_ will be able to hear you..." he whispered, and with a sudden manoeuvre a cat would be jealous of, he forced Aeris in front of him, her back pressed against his chest. Aeris took a short convulsive intake of air.

"Look at the view... magnificent huh?" he added in a dreamy tone. "So vast and so immense... makes you feel quite..."

His lips were suddenly on her neck "...small... and... insignificant... and..." he interrupted his slow torture but continued again shortly afterwards.

"...and frail..." he added.

Aeris let out another loud gasp as she felt his tongue pressing against her pulse point. His arms wound against her figure and his fingers slipped down to interlace with hers. Aeris suddenly felt warm. The muscular chest behind her felt strangely intoxicating. She would NOT enjoy this she told herself. She would not. She had to do something, but what exactly, she had no idea.

Her side vision caught something rectangular. It looked like a book. Aeris had an epiphany. If she could only reach that, she thought, maybe it would serve as some kind of... tool... a weapon perhaps. A feeble attempt it might be but she had to try, she thought. She tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but Genesis had other ideas. His lips and teeth were now nibbling on her left ear. Aeris' breaths got faster as he continued tracing its outer surface with his tongue before moving on deeper to her ear canal. She trembled.

Her arm slowly stretched to reach for the object of her newly-found hope. _Just one more inch, _she thought_. Just one more..._

"iiiinccch!"she screamed. Her tiny hand was crashed under Genesis' bigger and stronger one just as she was about to claim success.

"Ah... LOVELESS..." he said and sighed.

"One small bit of information you may need to know..." he continued in a calm but dangerously serious tone.

Aeris felt goosebumbs on her skin.

"Nobody... touches... LOVELESS... and LIVES!" he shouted making Aeris feel dizzy and drop to her knees.

* * *

Reviews please!!! xD I'd like to know what you think! :)


	6. Abyss

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Genesis, Aeris or Final Fantasy.

* * *

If fear was water Aeris would be drowned in it. Her knees met the ground. For the first time Aeris felt Genesis losing control. And that made her even more afraid than she already was. Was he angry she tried to attack him or that she tried to touch that stupid book of his, she wondered. Was it that precious to elicit such a reaction from him? At least it stopped his... actions momentarily, she thought and blushed.

She didn't dare to look up but she could feel him still standing tall behind her. The anticipation was killing her. Would he hit her or kill her even? But nothing... She pricked her ears. She could hear him breathing heavily. She slowly bent forward and tried to crawl away from him. Where she would go she had no idea though. It wasn't that she had plenty of options... She stopped, raised her head up and in an unsteady movement she stood up. Hesitantly she turned around to face him. He was holding that book of his and...

Aeris blinked.

...and he was looking at it. In fact it seemed as if he was reading it. No, he _was_ actually reading it, Aeris realised in confusion. And out of nowhere, an idea formed in her mind. She had to try, she thought. Who knows, maybe there was some hope left for her still...

She slowly approached him, her eyes on him. His own eyes were still on the open book. How could he even _see_ in such darkness, she wondered in amazement. But she let the thought pass and with hesitant steps she came closer. Her face was now on the same level with the book. She took a look on the cover. LOVELESS, it read.

Aeris took a deep breath and raised her trembling hand but stopped halfway through.

"Genesis?" she uttered in a voice that she hoped would not betray her fear.

"Yes... Aeris?" he answered, never looking up. He looked entranced.

Aeris hesitated. She looked at his hands holding the book. They looked delicate and strong at the same time. They could both be tender or used as killing machines, she thought. She shivered. She had to go ahead though. What else could she do?

Genesis was about to turn another leaf on his beloved book but Aeris' hand stopped him in mid-air.

Aeris bit her lip and waited for his reaction. Genesis finally separated his eyes from the book and looked up to meet her eyes. Silence... Aeris felt like losing her voice again. On close inspection, he just looked out-worldly. And for a brief moment she marvelled at his outrageous beauty. His eyes were a mesmerising sea of glowing blue, his features aristocratic. But still dangerous, she thought, and felt her mouth dry. She held his gaze though, and with her right hand still holding his, she slipped her fingers on the top of the book.

With a bold and brave movement she forced it shut. She waited...

Nothing...

No reaction...

Aeris gulped.

Genesis was still looking at her. He hadn't even blinked once. Nor had she, she realised. She took a deep breath and tried to pry the book away from his hands. Preparing to fight for it, she frowned and let out a deep sigh. Surprisingly, she met no resistance.

Aeris took the book on her free hand and then extended her arm to put it on a side wall close by, while at the same time noting its position.

She then returned her eyes on him. The blood rushing on her head was making her feel dizzy. She wasn't sure if her legs would obey her but she managed to take a small step forward. Then another one, bringing her in a terribly small distance from her captor. She had no other choice.

Aeris could feel his hot breath on her forehead. She felt lightheaded as she raised her head, eyes falling on his lips and then on his eyes; and then back on his lips again.

What was she doing she thought, as panic was threatening to strike her with all its might. She could not kiss him... She wasn't even experienced. She would _not_ just kiss strangers like that. _Especially_ not like that... But that was no ordinary situation, she thought. She had no time to waste and she had nothing to lose anyway. She just prayed her plan would work eventually.

She stood on her toes and brought her trembling hands on either side of his neck, while she slowly extended them over his broad shoulders to encircle him fully. Her fingers brushed off his chestnut hair while his dangling earring lightly scratched the top of her hand. After a few seconds she felt his own arms encircling her lightly. She pressed herself closer to him. He felt warm. In a different situation, perhaps she would have enjoyed this.

It was now or never. In an audacious and swift movement, Aeris aimed for his lips. And if it wasn't for a brief moment's hesitation, she would be kissing him. Instead, she shifted slightly on her toes and her nose painfully met his jaw bone making her wince.

"Aaaow!" she cried, backing off and holding her nose on her hand. It hurt. It really hurt.

In between tears, she heard the sound of intense and deep laughter coming from him.

"Ha ha ha! I suppose... you ...are not... very... experienced... are you?" he said in between deep inhalations of air while holding his stomach. He then bent and lowered his hands over his knees still laughing.

_Great, not only it didn't work, now he is laughing at me_, she desperately thought. She looked at him in a deep frown.

"Perhaps... you need... someone... to... teach you..." Genesis looked up at her grinning and then winked at her.

Aeris growled shooting a thousand daggers at him. If looks could kill he'd be dead by then. If only she was bigger and stronger, she would wipe that stupid grin off his face, Aeris considered, surprised at her own violent thoughts. If only...

On that instant she caught a glimpse of the book resting on top of the side wall. _Maybe this was her chance_, she thought. He seemed distracted enough, she hoped.

With a graceful and swift move she grabbed the copy of LOVELESS and run towards the edge of the platform.

She had succeeded. His laughter was cut short. She couldn't help but smile at his reaction. Obviously she was right in thinking the book meant a lot to him, she thought.

"Don't move!" she screamed when she saw him approaching. His walk was slow but steady. The playful look on his eyes was now gone. It was replaced by a manic stare. He looked menacing and dangerous.

"Don't move!"she repeated holding the book over the abyss below. "Come any closer, and your precious book will be no more!" she shouted in a brave voice, which faltered once she realised he had not stopped moving. With widening eyes she saw him getting closer and closer.

"Aeris... give me the book..." Genesis said in a deceivingly sweet voice, but which in reality could barely contain his fury.

Aeris looked around her. There was no escape. Of course there was no escape, she thought. What was she thinking enraging him like that? She then looked towards the dark depths of the chasm below her. Only a few inches separated her from certain depth. On the other hand, things were not looking rosy on her level either, she thought in despair.

Aeris couldn't think anymore. She grabbed a page and slowly started tearing it. It seemed to her that this just might have brought the desired result. Genesis had stopped moving. With renewed hope she looked at him.

"Promise to let me go and show me a way out of here, or this gets totally destroyed!" she screamed; and with that, she tore it just a little bit further so as to emphasise her point.

"Aeris... stay away from the platform edge" Genesis warned her, and he slowly raised his hand towards her desperately scared figure. He took one step closer.

"Don't... Don't! DON'T! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!! Aeris screamed on top of her lungs and took one step backwards only to be met with the slippery brink of the platform.

It happened in an instant. Her balance was lost... her foot was met with the void. Empty space... cold wind... torn pages swirling all around her... a voice screaming her name... and then... blissful darkness...

Oh no... what an escape! Did Aeris fall to her death??

Please review!!! xD


	7. Awakenings

I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry for the previous cliff-hanger *evil laugh* and for keeping you waiting! I was a bit busy! Thanks for all your reviews! Keep 'em coming!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Final Fantasy associated.

Note: This chapter inspired me to create a photo manip of Genesis and how I imagined him to look like in this fic, and especially this chapter. You might have come across it already but if you haven't, here is the link (just remove the empty spaces in between): http://s unny /a rt/B lood-L ust-G enesis-R hapsodos-144026297

And now on with the chap! Hmm... I wonder if Genesis will revenge the destruction of his precious Loveless...?

* * *

The daylight warmed her face making her eyelids flutter. Aeris let out a slight moan. She had the weirdest dream ever. _How strange_... she thought, eyes still closed. She brought her hand on her face and rubbed her forehead. Her head was killing her. _I think I'll need an aspirin_, she grumblingly thought. But soon her thoughts returned to her dream again.

It was so dark... That, she could remember clearly. And then... then she had felt herself falling... and falling...and falling... It had seemed so real to her...so real in fact, she could still feel her head and body ache...

_What an awful and strange nightmare_... Aeris thought. She could still feel the terror and the tight knot it had managed to form in her stomach.

Aeris tried to remember her dream in more detail. Everything was so hazy. Something had stopped her fall making her gasp. Then she had come crashing down on the ground landing on something... soft. She had rolled countless times on the ground before she...or rather _they_, she suddenly corrected herself, brought themselves to a halt. Then she remembered a bright billboard light blinding her. And then it was dark...

_I have the feeling I was not alone in this dream of mine... Whose presence was it though_, she immediately wondered. _And... the thing that had grabbed me... it looked like a hand, two hands in fact... Yes... I remember now... They had both grabbed me by the waist... and they were both covered in... blood! _Aeris shivered.

_But it's so strange... I am awake... At least I think I am... and those hands... I think I can still feel them...but... why... hmph!_

She finally opened her eyes in frustration and glanced at her waist. Yes, she could not only feel them but see them as well.

_I suppose... I have not woken up completely yet_... _Yeah... that's it... _Aeris thought in confusion and settled her back against the warm soft surface right behind her.

Aeris blinked. Perhaps she was losing her mind, she thought. She could swear the "_surface_" was moving. In a steady periodic rhythm, too. Like a person breathing... Like a male person breathing... or... maybe like a red-haired male person breathing... Aeris blinked again. _Where on Gaia did that thought come from?_

And then it hit her.

Her breathing got faster. But she did not dare to make the slightest move. That was _not_ a nightmare! This thing was real... she felt her heart was about to explode.

_Genesis_... she thought.

She silently wondered if she should take a look back to confirm her suspicions. She didn't want to risk moving but it seemed to her that her red-haired tormentor was asleep.

After a few indecisive minutes she finally dared to take a look up. She tilted her head slightly and took a few moments to observe him. His eyes were closed. He looked so peaceful and almost angelic-looking if it wasn't for the droplets of blood that stained the right corner of his lips, his chin, and his naked upper torso, on which her head was resting. Aeris blushed. _So... beautiful... _she thought for a fraction of a second before snapping back to reality. What was she going to do?, she panicked.

Aeris turned her head back down slowly to observe the room. It looked very posh and expensive. Right opposite the bed, where she and Genesis were covered in shimmery red sheets with golden stripes, she could see a big window with matching red and golden curtains adorning its sides. The sun had suddenly gone; in its place dark clouds marred the sky. A big storm was raging, the rain drops relentlessly attacking the window pane.

_Could this be his apartment_, she wondered. Then she caught sight of a framed cover of Loveless on the wall to her left close to the window.

_Hmph... I suppose it is... _she thought rolling her eyes and almost caught herself smirking.

Now if only she could move and make it out of the bed without waking him up, maybe she could make it to the door, she thought, hope painting her heart.

Not daring to breathe or look back, she slowly raised her back from his chest and sat up on the bed. Somehow his hands had loosened around her waist and had fallen to the side. Aeris smiled. So far so good, she exhaled in relief.

_Now for the second part of the plan; getting out of the bed completely, _Aeris thought and slowly raised the sparkly sheets to uncover her legs, only to be met by the sight of strong muscular thighs on either side of her frame, literally entrapping her between them.

_Oh no... _Aeris thought_... but at least he's not... naked,_ she sighed and blushed, glancing down at his dark trousers.

Maybe she could still make her escape though, as there was no sign of movement on his part and his breathing was deep and steady. Besides, his hold was quite relaxed.

She took a deep breath and tried to slide the slightest bit forward towards the edge of the bed.

She suddenly stopped and listened for any signs of him awakening. _Nothing..._ She glanced down again. Was it her or did his thighs seem to move a bit closer together?

_Probably my idea... _she thought, trying to calm herself down_. I can still make it!_

She moved a few more inches further down the bed. By now she could feel a slight pressure on her outer thighs.

_Aeris calm down_, she told herself again. _You're almost there. Focus on the plan! _she thought again and moved one more inch further down the bed.

There was no mistaking it now. The pressure on her legs had increased dramatically. She froze and stood perfectly still. Her eyes widened. Doubtful that she could move now, she prayed that this was purely a coincidence. Maybe he was still sleeping, she thought after a few moments of total silence. She would have to wait for a better moment to slip away, she decided. She just prayed it would be soon. Really soon...

A strange sensation on her back suddenly overwhelmed her senses and made her blood run cold. It felt like butterflies fluttering their wings across the full length of her spine. Up and down... up and down... Aeris shivered at the tingling sensation. _That can't be butterflies_, she fearfully thought and gulped. The touch was slow and almost sensual, the unmistakable motion of fingertips lightly caressing her back.

_This is it..._ Aeris thought in a combination of intense fear and disappointment, and reluctantly turned her head to meet the teasing eyes of her captor. Their eyes locked. He was grinning.

In a panic-stricken moment, Aeris pushed his thighs apart and dashed for the bedroom door on the right side of the room.

Only she didn't make it that far. Strong hands encircled her and brought her forcefully down on the bed face down. Aeris screamed in a high-pitched voice, while struggling to break herself free.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!"

"Let me go! Let me go, I said!!! LET ME GO!!!!!"

Her small frame though was no match for the heavy SOLDIER on top of her, and she knew it. His muscular arms had pinned her down rendering her immobile. She would blush on their compromising position if she wasn't so scared.

"Please let me go..." Aeris pleaded in a lower and more timid voice.

Suddenly she felt his grip loosen.

"Ok. You're free to go," Genesis said and stood up to allow her some space.

Did she hear correctly, Aeris wondered and turned to look at him in bewilderment. He had retracted and was now standing on the other side of the room, far away from her, looking very solemn and serious.

Aeris didn't let herself waste any time; she stood up and ran to the bedroom door. She swung it open and found herself in a bigger room, which she guessed was the main living room judging from its grand size, and her eyes frantically looked around for the exit. Her eyes spotted a doorway that looked very possible to be her hope of an escape and managed a few unstable steps towards it. The pain from her fall had returned. Aeris winced but continued walking.

Then his voice echoed from across the room.

"Oh Aeris? I believe this is yours".

Aeris' only thought was the door and the door only, but something made her look back and she instantly regretted it. His expression was just as she came to expect: mocking. Then her eyes fell on his right hand. He was holding something bright, round and small.

"My materia!" Aeris gasped.

"Yes, I believe so. They fell on the ground after your little...falling accident," he chuckled. "And if I'm to judge by the mumblings in your sleep, this must be very precious to you...isn't it... Aeris?"

She was torn. What should she do? Her head told her to leave but she just couldn't leave without it. It was all that she had left from her mother. Aeris almost choked in tears. She had no choice but to try and get her materia back.

"So... Do you really want it back?" Genesis smirked.

"Yes..." Aeris replied with a deep frown.

"Ok, then come and get it!" Genesis smirked, and with that, he slipped the materia inside the front pocket of his trousers.

Aeris' eyes couldn't get any wider. _No way she would put her hand down there, so close... so close to... ugh! _

Yes, she was going to kill him! That is, _if _she actually could...

"What are you waiting for? You don't want it then?" Genesis pressed in a seemingly innocent tone.

Aeris hesitated. She knew this was a trap.

"Ok fine," Genesis said turning around, his back facing Aeris. "Since you don't want it I might throw it away then or ...even better _destroy_ it" he said giving her his most evil smile and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Aeris cried as she sheepishly took a few hesitant steps forward scowling.

Genesis turned back to face her and waited for her to draw nearer.

_This will be interesting_, he thought, and simpered.

Aeris didn't fail to notice his more than amused expression and frowned even more.

_This will only take a second, I will be very quick_, she said to herself. _Then I'm gone._

"You look _so_ cute when you're angry," Genesis said and laughed. Aeris didn't reply but only served him with the angriest look she could muster. She stood before him and waited for his reaction. Nothing came; he just stood there in silence watching her, the slightest hint of as smile curved on his lips.

She finally brought her hand forward and slipped her hand into his pocket. _This is just ridiculous!_ she thought trying to keep a calm but still angry, she hoped, expression. It was tighter than she expected. Her materia were nowhere to be found. Her head started spinning. She slipped her fingers even deeper. Her breathing intensified. Sweat broke on her forehead and wiped it away with her free hand.

"Getting excited now, are we?" Genesis leaned down and whispered to her in a seductive tone.

"I hate you!" she finally exclaimed as she reached the bottom of his pocket but still... no materia.

Aeris looked up at him questioningly.

"Maybe you should try the rest of the pockets, too..." Genesis offered. "In fact, I think... a full body search would be most appropriate..." he smiled.

Aeris' face colour turned from pale white to beetroot red.

"I am most certainly NOT!" she fumed.

"Hmph... give it some time...and you _will_ eventually...on your own. But until then..." Genesis let the sentence hung in the air. He grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her closer forcing her face onto his smooth bare chest right above his Loveless tattoo. As long as Aeris face colour was concerned, beetrood red would be an understatement.

"Hmm... now let's think where this elusive materia might be....Could it be here...?"And with that, he forced Aeris' left hand inside his back pocket, on top of his buttocks making her imitate a slight massage movement in the process.

"Nope!" he said shaking his head.

"...hmm... could it be... _here_? he continued, guiding her hand back to the front of his torso and gliding it further down below to reach right inside the rim of his trousers. Aeris felt the world spinning again and she tried to resist the movement.

"Please no..." she begged and then whimpered. At that Genesis chuckled and released her. With a sudden movement that took Aeris by surprise, he reached for the back of her ear.

"Well...well... what do we have here?" he wondered in fake amazement producing her beloved materia as if in a magic trick. "It seems it was right behind your ear all along and then your eyes accuse me of hiding it! Kinda seems to me like an excuse to roam your hands all over my body...tsk...tsk...tsk..." he said in a half-amused half-condescending tone.

Aeris didn't wait to hear any more of his infuriating words. She grabbed the materia and as fast as her legs could carry her, she headed for the main door.

She tried the handle. Once...twice... three times... and then a few more... The door remained closed.

_Of course..._

"You said I was free to go!" Aeris screamed at Genesis in midst of a panic attack.

"Why... of course you are!" Genesis chuckled, grabbing an apple from a bowl on the table next to him and biting into it. "I didn't mention anything about locked doors though!"

"Did I?"

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Please review and let me know what you think!!! I'd sooo appreciate it! Ideas are always welcome of course. I'm actually now thinking of involving Sephiroth at some point, or maybe I could leave it for another story... We'll see! xD


	8. Confusion

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! I'm not dead, as you can see! Sooooo sorry for this delay. It wasn't planned. I got caught in between buying a new house, and having internet and computer problems. And at the same time being busy with writing my PhD thesis! I managed to draft a new chapter though, so here it is! I wanted to make it a bit better but I hope this will do for now.

(By the way, see if you can spot the Zoolander reference, LOL! I was watching the film recently and I thought to apply it to Genesis for fun! LOL I've even made a parody video with Genesis – video link on my profile page).

**Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own Genesis, Aeris or anything related to Final Fantasy. **

* * *

Genesis barely had a moment to evade the flying vase that suddenly found his way towards his head. It crashed loudly on the wall behind him.

"Huh! I suppose I shouldn't have brought you in my apartment after all! Now you have... ammunition!" Genesis exclaimed as he dodged another flying object - a photo frame this time.

"You're damn right, you shouldn't!" a furious-looking Aeris shouted back, already holding her next choice of available weapon, a golden-encrusted replica copy of Loveless.

"You want... to put that... _down_..." Genesis warned her, his tone revealing more frustration than he actually intended.

"Do not thr..." his sentence was cut short, as just like the rest of the makeshift weapons, he saw his beloved Loveless flying towards him, too. This time, with a dexterous move of his hand Genesis caught it in mid-air without even flinching. A frown formed between his eyebrows. That girl was... dangerous.

Aeris was momentarily stunned by his reaction, but she didn't waste time in the search for more objects to throw at him - preferably sharp. Her eyes caught a glimpse of an open door that led to what looked like a big study room with lots of books. With her "weapon" supplies dangerously low and her heart madly beating, she dashed to the door. She tried to close it shut as fast as she could, but with Genesis following hot on her heels, she only managed to move it by a mere few inches. Genesis forcefully shouldered the door, hitting her and sending her down on the floor.

"Oh no, you won't..." Genesis scolded her furiously as he gripped her arm and forced her to stand on her feet again. "You've caused enough damage already!" he exclaimed, all the while glancing quickly around to ensure no harm came to his precious Loveless collection, which occupied a good part of his library.

Suddenly a sharp pain registered on his neck and chest; it felt like like nails maniacally scratching against his skin surface and digging deeply into his flesh.

"Damn it Aeris!" he exclaimed. "You've got some really sharp nails there you know..."

"Hmph! I wish they were sharper!" Aeris shouted at him as she struggled against his tight grip.

Genesis chuckled. Was it him or had she inflicted quite some damage on him in such a short time, he mused. Maybe he lost more blood now from these injuries than the ones he had suffered in his training sessions with Angeal and Sephiroth.

"Ha ha ha! You're something else Aeris!" Genesis laughed.

"Anyway, I think I need to take a shower to wash all this blood and dirt off me," he remarked pointedly. "I think you need one urgently, too" Genesis laughed again, commenting on her less than presentable condition.

Aeris looked at her blood-stained dress properly for the first time since the start of her ordeal. Indeed, she was in a proper state. Not that she really cared; what difference would it make if she ended up dead anyway, she thought. She took a small step back, as far as Genesis strong hold would allow her anyway. As if by miracle, one of her hands, still free from Genesis grasp, made contact with something heavy located on the wooden table behind her back. It felt like a bottle, Aeris realised, and it quickly found its way between her fingers. Hope would die last. One moment later it had landed on top of Genesis' head.

For a moment nobody talked or moved as the liquid contents of the now smashed bottle poured down Genesis's head, shoulders and chest, before dripping on the polished wooden floor. It smelt like wine – well, red wine judging by its colour. After a few more moments of stunned silence staring at each other, they both recovered: Aeris frantically trying again to escape from his tightened grip and Genesis blinking and shaking his head to remove the remaining traces of glass fragments from his hair.

His lips shrunk as if he had sucked on a really sour lemon. What was with this woman and this undesirable effect she had on him? For the umpteenth time in the last few hours he seemed to have lost his concentration. He never lost his concentration under attack or in battle. Her attacking attempts were feeble and laughable but how could this small weak female take him by surprise in such a way? This was unbearable and inexcusable. He was angry with himself but most of all her. Why had he saved her when she fell anyway? Why did he feel terror in the thought of letting her die? She was just scum from the slums, right? Innocent-looking but still scum... His earlier fight with Sephiroth was already forgotten, a distant memory. He was still upset though, and now the source of his frustration was her... just her.

She would be punished, he decided. He smiled as he most certainly knew the way he would upset her the most.

Aeris felt her feet leave the floor and screamed. Genesis had grabbed her by the waist and as if she was a feather, he lifted her and hoisted her on his right shoulder.

"Where are you taking me?" Aeris screamed even louder. Maybe her end was near, she thought teary-eyed. Perhaps breaking that bottle on his head hadn't been such a good idea after all...

"Please, don't kill me," Aeris begged in between sobs. Her fists met Genesis' back with all the strength she had left, which was not much unfortunately. Not that she could ever match his strength, even if she was fully recovered.

Not paying attention to her pleas, screams, and occasional kicks and punches, Genesis kept walking and entered another room. Aeris weakly lifted her head and soon realised that the new room was the bathroom. It was quite big and elegant. White and gold tiles covered the walls, while the whole decor with its statuettes, dried flowers, wicker baskets and aromatic candles gave the whole space a spa-like atmosphere. _A killer with good taste... _Aeris thought bitterly before succumbing to another wave of crying sobs.

She heard a sound of what seemed to be the shower door being flipped wide open and she suddenly felt the full impact of her back and bottom meeting the cold white-tiled shower floor.

"Aaoow!" she momentarily forgot her less than perfect situation, just to send a death glare at Genesis who was now standing on the edge of the shower door grinning down evilly at her.

So, was this shower cubicle where she was going to meet her end? Aeris returned her thoughts to her dire situation. A droplet of blood formed on her forehead and trickled down her eyebrow, pausing on her eyelashes and blurring her vision. Aeris touched her forehead and sighed. She must have hit it on an edge or a door frame somehow during her struggle. Why was this happening to her?, she thought again and sniffed.

"Tell me something Aeris," Genesis said entering the cubicle himself before closing the shower door behind him.

"How come you _appear_ to be so innocent?" he continued as he came closer to force her up on her feet.

Aeris' body obeyed as if it belonged to a rag doll. She looked defeated and in a zombie-like state. At least her soul was ready to meet her maker. What would it feel like being absorbed into the lifestream?, she wondered. Would she meet her mother again? At that thought she smiled, confusing Genesis even more.

"Ha! Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you," Genesis said after a moment, reading her thoughts. "Well... I think not. This will depend on how well you treat Loveless from now on!" he laughed.

"Anyway... I'm genuinely perplexed...." he said closing in on Aeris. He lifted her chin up to have a closer look on her injury. "You are not something you come across every day... And definitely not in the slums," he continued.

"You are NOT either!" Aeris exclaimed suddenly waking up from her trance, shooting another angry glare at him.

"Hmph!" Genesis laughed. "Most anusual... you are indeed..." he said as he slowly traced Aeris bloody forehead with his fingers. "It seems I wasn't the only... casualty from our little encounter after all... Because... Well, look at this mess you caused," he remarked pointing at the blood and dirt on his face and body.

Aeris' blood boiled. _As if..._

"You little..." she stopped and growled for lack of appropriate insulting words. She just couldn't find a word insulting enough for him. "How dare you!" she finally said and punched him on the stomach, a move she instantly regretted, as she was certain she managed to hurt her fist more than his stomach. _Muscles made of steel_, she thought, and to her embarrassment she even blushed a little at the thought.

"You were the one who suddenly decided I needed a night-time flight!" she eventually shouted, adopting her earlier - but still quite fake - brave stance.

"Best in town! And free of charge, too!" Genesis replied quite amused.

Aeris fought the urge to punch him again, but her previous experience made her decide against it. Instead she remained silent, fuming inside. She knew by now how unpredictable this... Genesis guy was, and she decided she wouldn't take any more unnecessary risks. Not until she had a better plan formed in her mind, something, which, she had to admit, did not seem even remotely likely at the moment.

"Hello? Anybody in there? Genesis' voice echoed in the cubicle while waving a hand in front of her unmoving eyes.

"Huh?" Aeris was suddenly back to the grim reality once again. She blinked and quickly averted her eyes from the muscled chest before her, only then realising she was unconsciously staring at him like that all this time. Adding further to her embarrassment and frustration, he had seemed to notice.

"See something you like?" Genesis said winking at her and giving her a cheeky smile.

"Huh?" Aeris repeated at loss of words.

"Boy, oh boy..." Genesis laughed. "Either I'm really really really ridiculously good looking, or you really did hit your head really hard!"

After a few moments of silence and seeing there was not a chance of getting a reply, Genesis moved closer to a petrified Aeris.

"That wound needs to be cleaned," he remarked in a barely audible whisper placing one hand gently on top of her head while the other reached right behind Aeris' back opening the hot water valve.

"...and healed," he continued, before placing his lips on top of her wound giving it a long and bloody kiss...

* * *

Hmm.... This chap came out quite humorous... LOL! It's the New Year effect perhaps... xD

But I still wonder if the next chapter will return to the... darknesss (as poor Aeris is terrified anyway)... lol


	9. Heaven

**Disclaimer: **I do not on Genesis, Aeris or Final Fantasy.

**Author's Note: **This is a short but necessary chapter.

Anyway... Bad Genesis... BAD, BAD Genesis.... or maybe not?

* * *

He took a step back and observed her. Just as he suspected, the girl had her eyes shut and was trembling even more now. The thought that he was perhaps dealing with an innocent soul infuriated him. Why did he have to encounter _her_ of all people? He knew that most people would react similarly in such a situation, but there was something different in this girl that he just couldn't place. She was ruining everything for him. She confused him and he loathed her bad for that. Really bad...

His eyes rested on the hot water valve again and smirked. He had an idea. Two ideas actually.

"Open your eyes!" he ordered, and watched the girl as she reluctantly obeyed, water still pouring from above on her tiny frame.

His hands came to rest on top of his trousers, just above his belt. He waited, and after a while... Bingo! He watched her cower in the corner as realisation suddenly hit her. His smirk widened even more. He was loving this!

Aeris turned her back on Genesis and tried to make herself as smaller as possible....Invisible... _Go away, just go away... _she wished him away in desperation. She didn't know how much of this she could handle anymore, she wished she would just drop dead right at that moment.

She heard the sound of belt buckles and zipper being undone and the sound of clothes dropping to the ground. She took a deep breath for the inevitable and closed her eyes shut.

Nothing...

He must really enjoy teasing her, she thought, biting her lips. Maybe the sight of helpless women in his shower was turning him on. _The sadistic bastard..._

_Aeris..._She heard her name being called. _What did he want now?_

"Aeris?" Could you pass me the shampoo? Genesis asked.

"Please?" he added after a while.

Aeris blinked_. Did he... did he... just say he wanted the_ _**shampoo**_?

Aeris looked up on the corner shelf and spotted the said bottle. She didn't know what to do. After a while, she decided that the best course of action would be to just do what he said. With her left hand still shaking, she clutched the bottle. For a moment she considered the option of attacking him with it, but if a wine bottle couldn't do the job, what damage would a plastic shampoo container inflict? She sighed and careful not to look back she passed him the bottle over her right shoulder.

"Why, thank you Aeris! You're very kind!" Genesis said.

Aeris fumed. She would castrate him, if she could, she suddenly decided.

At that, she felt his form coming closer, literally pushing her on the shower wall. She waited apprehensively for a few minutes. Silence... Nothing again. Suddenly, she felt the intensity of the falling water increase on her head and shoulders and then...

_Huh? He was__... **singing? **_

Aeris almost forgot her abysmally dire situation and looked back at him. His eyes were closed as he was massaging his scalp with his hands. He was now whistling to the sound of an unknown to her tune. Aeris blinked. _What the hell?_

Suddenly his eyes snapped open to glare angrily at her. Terror engulfed Aeris' body once again. The evil grin she hoped she wouldn't have to see again was back on his face one more time.

"The water is a bit cold, isn't it?" he enquired.

Genesis chuckled as he wound one arm around her and switched off the cold water supply completely. He then reached for the hot water one, and turned it all the way back, to the maximum. He smirked at the knowledge of his strong endurance to anything hot. Unlike a certain flower girl trapped in his arms, in front of him. He was sure of it.

Aeris felt her legs going weak again. _He wouldn't do that, would he?_

"We, SOLDIERS, like to take long, hot, and steamy showers," he explained nonchalantly, as if that would make everything all right. He pressed harder against her. Finally... The whole image of her ordeal was immensely satisfying to him, turning him on even.

Aeris's agonising screams pierced through the steam before abruptly stopping on the thick glass walls of the cubicle. The pain was nothing like she had ever experienced before in her life. Her skin was burning, her eyes were burning, her whole being was burning. She felt like she was melting. She would die suffering, she knew that now. Her whole life passed in front of her eyes_. Her family... her friends... her flowers... her church..._ all that meant everything to Aeris passed in front of her eyes in a fraction of a second. But it seemed like a lifetime to her.

_So far far away... In the distance... A long long time ago..._

With all her remaining strength, she fought her way around. She wanted to face him. Gasping for breath, she pushed and pushed. Even if his handsome but devilish face was the very last image her eyes would capture in this world, she wanted to face him. To let him know how much she hated him, how much she loathed him. To let him know she wasn't defeated. One last angry and full of hate glance would make this worthwhile, she thought, as she turned around and...

"Curaga!"

A bright light suddenly engulfed her. Bliss... Eternal bliss... No more pain... Just bliss...

She felt herself falling...

_I... am... dead?_

_Or... am I a... ghost?_

_No... That's impossible... I can still feel the steam... the water..._

_What is happening to me?_

_Why is the pain gone?_

_Why can I still feel the wetness on my body... on my clothes?_

_And why _can _I feel the naked form of a male body... right beneath me? Between my thighs? _

_**Heaven?**_

The last thought made her eyes open wide. Reality returned. She was back in the cubicle. As she pushed her head back and looked at the ceiling, the exertion increased her need for more air. She tried to breathe but instead she burst into a coughing fit, the steam making her breathing even more difficult.

After a few more laborious breaths, her eyes slowly came back on focus. She was feeling better now... But where was he? What had happened? As she leaned forward, the sight shocked her.

_Genesis!_

_But... what is he doing?_

_Is he... is... he... _

_...what on Gaia..._

_Was that a... tear?_

Aeris blinked and sighed. Yes, those droplets ressembled tears in his vacant eyes that were now looking full of...

_Sadness..._

_But... but... why?_

_WHY?_

Oh, no... no... no... She would _not_ feel sorry for him. Her anger returned in full force.

"You sick bastard!" she shouted at him, taking more deep breaths before repeatedly slapping him on the face with whatever force she could gather.

Genesis didn't react to whatever was coming his way. After a never-ending cascade of verbal and physical abuse, he finally locked eyes with her. Just for a brief moment. He immediately looked away again towards the wall and released the cure materia from his fingers. He let it roll away...

"Keys... top shelf of the bench... next to the kitchen sink..." he finally uttered.

Five minutes later, Aeris's body welcomed the cooling rain...

* * *

Hehe! In a last minute decision I refrained from making Genesis look TOO bad... Awww... Instead I decided to hint at some emotional inner turmoil. lol Sorry if you were expecting someting more... limey... Hehe! It just wouldn't fit with the rest of the story at this point! Aeris would NOT forgive him _"that"_...

Ok, I'll stop here because I need votes! I'm thinking of entering Sephiroth at last, but would like to know which pairing you'd like to see most. Would you like to see a jealous Genesis? A jealous Sephiroth? A nice little... triangle? There may be a Vulnerable Part 2, this way, with Sephiroth. :)


	10. Salty Affairs

Many thanks to all the wonderful people reviewing! I really appeciate that! Thanks so much everyone!

Hmm... will there be any special guest-star appearances in this chapter? xD I'm in the middle of submitting my thesis at the university, but I couldn't help writing a short introductory chapter. xD After this is done, next chapters will definitely be longer. Anyway, this is a small taste of what's to come.

* * *

**_A few weeks later..._**

* * *

"What is this... _piss_?" Genesis spluttered in disgust as he took a small bite of his breakfast before spitting it out and throwing the rest back on the plate - staining the tablecloth and his freshly-cleaned coat with food droplets in the process. "Pffft.. Is this supposed to be _edible_?" Genesis exclaimed in a loud voice shooting a look of pure hatred and revulsion at the grilled bacon sandwich that accompanied his melted mozarella cheese on sliced mushrooms and tomatoes. The movement attracted the attention of the rest of the diners, who shot him some alarmed looks, but quickly returned to their plates when Genesis looked up from his plate and gave them his most murderous look.

"Whom do I have to screw to get some decent food around here?" Genesis continued his rant with increasing temper as the waiter hid behind the counter.

"It's tasteless, dull, insipid, crappy DOG FOOD! No flavour, no taste! Just plain... blandness! Actually no..." he stated after a few moments of consideration. "I stand corrected. It does taste like something... Yeah... It tastes like warmed _cardboard_! Oh, and yes... but of course! It smells like feet, TOO!" he ceremoniously announced to his bewildered audience, after bringing said sandwich close to his nose for a close up inspection.

"Angeal, can you pass me the salt?" Genesis finally asked and looked up towards Angeal, his gaze purposely avoiding the other end of the table, where a certain silver-haired –and very moody- General was sitting, drawing imaginary circles, triangles and other geometric shapes with his spoon in his muesli cereal.

"Angeal, can-you-pass-me-the-salt- _PLEASE_?" Genesis slowly repeated his question even louder, rolling his eyes in exasperation seeing Angeal's hesitation. He then flashed him a wide artificial smile.

"Please, oh pretty please?"

Angeal sighed. After a few more indecisive moments he reached for the salt that was inconveniently located within Sephiroth's grasp.

"Salt it is..." Angeal mumbled reaching for Genesis' current object of desire. The air was thick with tension this morning. He could cut it with his own sword, he thought, shifting uneasily in his chair. He had a bad feeling about this, and most of the times his gut feelings ended up being correct. And he hated being correct, especially since a certain red-haired friend of his decided to wake up on the wrong side of the bed today...

...or most of the days of the month, he thought after a while.

And then it moved...

"Oh, good heavens!" Angeal muttered though his teeth.

"Sephiroth, can I have the salt, please?" he tried pleading after seeing Sephiroth's hand moving the salt further away out of his grasp, a loud clattering noise accompanying the forceful banging of the glass salt container on the table.

"Sephiroth," Angeal tried to reason with him again, not liking the direction this... "salty" thing was heading. "Please... just give me the salt?"

"No," was Sephiroth's firm answer.

"Sephiroth!" Angeal repeated even louder in agitation, inwardly cursing Lazard for sending both Genesis and Sephiroth together on a patrol mission in the slums despite his warnings; especially so soon after that recent fighting incident in the training room. It's been a few weeks now since it happened but the two SOLDIERS were still not in speaking terms. In fact, not only they were not speaking but the temperature was slowly but steadily reaching boiling point with no signs of cooling off.

Angeal decided it was of paramount importance he had that damn freaking salt in his own hands ASAP.

An abrupt move of the silver-haired man's elbow though, and suddenly...

"Oops..." Sephiroth's deep voice echoed teasingly through the diner as the breaking noise of glass on the ground filled the deafening silence.

Angeal watched as the white grains and glass fragments scattered through the floor surface reaching the adjacent tables. He then rested his head hopelessly on his hands and sighed in defeat. What did he do to deserve this? Was it karma? Was the Goddess punishing him? As if his new trainee, Zack, wasn't already a handful...

A quick look around the cafeteria confirmed what he already suspected; empty seats everywhere, the last remaining customers an elderly couple who had miraculously forgot their disabilities and were now sprinting towards the door.

Genesis chuckled.

"Angeal, can you please tell _him_, that his childish pitiful attempts at annoying me, will _not_ work? "Besides..." he added smirking, "seeing his ugly mug early in the morning, is enough to put me off food anyway..." and with that, he emphatically pushed his plate away in disgust, a nauseating look on his face.

Angeal opened his mouth to say something but an equally smirking Sephiroth grabbed his shoulder and cut him off before he had the chance to utter any words.

"Angeal, can you please tell Mr Loveless over there that, _first_, I don't speak idiot, and _second_, his own face is such a mess, he should actually _stop_ reading Loveless before slamming shut that silly poetry book of his?"

"Ha ha ha ha! Genesis threw back his head and laughed in an obstreperous manner. And as if to acknowledge Sephiroth's amusing "joke", he started clapping his hands vigorously in a fake display of extreme delight.

"Hmph... at least I can _read_ books Sephiroth..." Genesis mocked and chuckled. Besides... I wouldn't expect from a guy with a room temperature IQ to understand and appreciate real literature... real poetry... Reading Loveless would make your head hurt! Ha ha! You would easily drown within the profoundly deep meanings and epic ideas that Loveless encapsulates."

Sephiroth smirked before his icy lips returned to their usual frigid position, an expression that held the sadistic promise of pure torturous murder.

"Hmph! Sephiroth scoffed raising a silver eyebrow before leaning ominously over the table. "I could eat _alphabet cereal_ and shit better lyrics than this crappy book of yours!"

Angeal had stayed silent all this time, simply listening to their puerile battle of wits. He just prayed that if there really was a God out there now was the best time to prove his existence by sending two big lightning bolts on either side of this table. Or at least an earth-shuttering earthquake... Was that too much to ask?

Angeal had enough. He stood up and banged his fists on the table just as he saw Genesis standing up and reaching for his rapier. The table shook and the plates and cutlery rattled by the sheer force of his assault on the wooden surface.

The abrupt motion of Angeal's reaction forced the two contentious soldiers to pause and look at him. Enough was enough.

"Will you two ever grow up?" Angeal fumed. "I'm sick of seeing you arguing and fighting all the time! At least have the decency and respect to keep your silly bickering over petty things within the Shinra establishment! Because this is getting plain ridiculous! And to be honest, quite embarrassing, too!"

The trio glanced around the long-deserted diner room. Plates with half-eaten food littered the benches and tables, while a considerable number of chairs fallen on the floor completed the whole hastily-abandoned decor.

Angeal sighed and tried to calm his breathing. After a few moments, he reached for his pocket and produced a cell phone.

"I'm calling off this mission _now_. I'm speaking to the Director now. You can both take the day off," he stated in a no-nonsense tone as he flipped the LCD screen open and tapped Lazard's number on the lighted keypad. As he waited for the busy signal to end, he watched Genesis re-sheathing his sword before finally walking off under Sephiroth's bemused gaze and the mellifluous sound of Loveless.

"_My friend, do you fly away now?  
To a world that abhors you and I?  
All that awaits you is a somber morrow.  
No matter where the winds may blow..."_

* * *

Oh, please review and let me know what you think. xD I tried to inject a bit of humour into the situation. I couldn't pass such an amazing opportunity of Genesis and Sephiroth in the same room arguing over nothing! lol


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